Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths (Clip 5)

For the Inuit, the sled dog symbolized a way of life as well as a deep connection to the land. They depended upon the dogs for hunting, transportation and companionship: They were essential to survival. But from the 1950s to the 1970s, the Inuit’s semi-nomadic way of life all but vanished. The sled dog population dropped from an estimated 20,000 to just a few hundred dogs. Many Inuit believe the dogs were deliberately killed by the RCMP as part of a government policy to force them off the land – and into “civilization.” The RCMP denies there was any conscious policy on their part. With the influx of people into settled communities, they argue, the sled dogs became redundant. Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths explores the mystery of how and why the sled dogs disappeared, a mystery that has left deep wounds across Canada’s Arctic.